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Sept. 6, 1960 Filed April 18. 1955 R. W. TACCONE MOLDING MACHINE UPSET 2Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR.

R US SELL W-7'Acco L' BY M g M Sept. 6, 1960 R. w. TACCONE 2,951,270

MOLDING MACHINE UPSET Filed April 18. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

R SSELL W 'T' ccorv BY United States Patent MOLDING MACHINE UPSETRussell W. Taccone, Erie, Pa., assignor to Taccone Pneumatic FoundryEquipment Corporation, North East Township, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Filed Apr. is, 1955, Ser. No. 501,947

Claims. on. 22-42 This application relates to molding machines and moreparticularly to machines for automatically making molds from sand orother similarly related material for producing metal castings.

This application is a continuation in part of copending application,Serial No. 280,223, filed April 3, 1952, which issued as Patent No.2,715,758 on August 23, 1955.

Molds made by diaphragm molding machines usually have an indentedoutside sand surface irregular in shape where it is compressed by theobtruder. This sometimes results in a thin sand section adjacent aprojection on the pattern With the outside surface spaced inwardly froma platform when the mold is set thereon. As a result of the sand surfacebeing unsupported and spaced from the platform or molding board, theunsupported strength of the sand must withstand the great ferrostaticpressures from metal poured thereinto. To overcome this difficulty, Ipropose to level the outside sand surface of the finished mold, aftercompressing it so that the entire surface may rest on a level support ormolding board while metal is being poured thereinto. In the saidcopending application, a method for making molds is dis- .closed whereina flask is moved under a diaphragm member and sand is packed therein. Inthe present application, a machine is disclosed wherein an automaticmeans is provided for moving the flask under the diaphragm member whichis supported on a head supported at a fixed space from a support and forleveling the surface of the sand on top of the flask.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a device ormachine for making molds which is simple in construction, economical tomanufacture, and simple and eflicient to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a molding machine whereinmolding sand or other suitable granular material may be deposited in aflask in bulk without regard to the specific distribution thereof andwherein the sand will be packed properly in the mold and the packed sandin the finished packed sand in the mold is struck otffflush with theouter edge of the mold.

Another object of this invention is to provide an upsetting member foruse in combination with the molding machine disclosed herein for actingas a hopper to provide excess sand in the flask and to subsequentlystrike the sand off after molding.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consistsof the combination and arrangement of Fig. 2 is a side view of themolding machine shown in Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is a top view of the molding machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the molding machine with the upset member inloading position over the flask and with a clam shell bucket depositingsand into the flask and upset member;

Fig. 5 shows the molding machine shown in the prior figures with theflask with the upsetting device moved under the head and the diaphragmexerting pressure on the sand in the upset and flask to pack sandtherein;

Fig. 6 shows the mold being moved out from under the molding head andthe upset member held in place under the head whereby packed sand in themold is levelled off even with the top of the flask; and

Fig. 7 shows the mold moved out of the machine after being' molded andthe flask lifted ofl the pattern by the stripping device.

Now with more specific reference to the drawings, a molding machine 1 isshown having a base 2 mounted on a support at 3 and having rod likestructural members 4 extending through lugs or bosses 5 in the base 2and having the ends of the structural members 4 threaded at 6 to receivenuts 7 thereon. The threaded ends 6 are of smaller diameter than themain portion 10 of the structural members 4 so that a shoulder isprovided at 8 to abut against the upper edge of the bosses 5 to lock thestructural members 4 therein. The upper ends of the structural members 4have reduced size threaded portions 9. Nuts 11 are provided thereon tolock the head 12 to the structural members 4.

The head 12 is made of the construction of the head of the moldingmachine shown in the said co-pending ap plication. The head 12 supportsa diaphragm 15 which is withdrawn into the head 12 when not in moldingposition and has a provision to apply compressed air above the diaphragm15 to force the diaphragm 15 into engagement with the sand to compresssand in the flask made up of the members 23 and 24 when the flask is inthe .position shown in Fig. 5 and when the mold is completed to applyvacuum between the diaphragm 15 and the head 12 to Withdraw thediaphragm ,15 into the head 12 in the manner described in the saidcopending application.

Brackets 16 are attached to the head 12 and have rollers or wheels 17and 18 attached thereto in spaced relation. The rollers 18 are attachedto the lower end of the brackets 16 and are adapted to carry an upsetmember 19 while the rollers 17 above the upset member 19 hold the upsetmember 19 in alignment with the lower surface of the head 12. 1

The upset member 19 is made up of the frame box like portion 20 havingfour sides and is open at the top and bottom and attached to a boom 21.The boom 21 slides between the wheels 17 and the wheels 18. The boom 21is adapted to fit over the top of the cope 23 and the drag 24 which aremounted on the top of pattern plate 25. The pattern plate 25 issupported on a car 26 having wheels 27 thereon which run on a track 28carrying the flask under the head 12 when the car 26 with cope 23 anddrag 24 mounted thereon and the upset 19 mounted thereover are filledwith sand and pulled by a piston rod 29 of a double acting hydrauliccylinder 30 into molding position under the head 12. A locking devicewhich may comprise a bracket and a slide 91 is provided to lock theupset 19 during strike off when the car 26 is being removed as shown inFig. 6.

In actual operation, the cope 23 and drag 24 are mounted on the car 26in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Then the upset member 19 is movedto the position shown in Fig. 4 and sand such as sand 126 is emptiedinto theflask and upset member 19. Then the entire device, including theupset member 19 and the flask, is pulled by means of the hydraulicpiston rod 29 into a position under the head 12 where it is held inplace. Then air is applied in the head 12 behind the diaphragm 15 in themanner described in the said previous application. The air forces thediaphragm 15 down onto the sand as indicated in Fig. 5, packing thesand-in the flask. Then the upset member 19 is held in position whilehydraulic pressure is applied to the cylinder 30. This forces the car 26to the left on track 28. The upset member 19 will be held in fixedposition under the head 12 and the flask moved out from under the upset19, causing the upset 19 to be effectively drawn across the top edge 37of the flask, striking the excess packed sand off of the flask asindicated in Fig. 6 and presenting a level surface on top of the flaskwhich can be rested on a molding board during casting process. Then whenthe car 26 has been moved to the position shown in Fig. 7, air pressurewill be applied to a piston 39 which has a shaft 41 extending upwardthrough the car 26. The shaft 41 will engage the flask and lift it bymeans of a pin 42 which extends through the mold and will move it off ofa pattern 44. The flask can then be lifted by means of a crane orotherwise and set down on the proper base. The cope 23 can be set downfirst and the drag 24 on top of the cope 23 in the proper manner andproperly clamped and the metal then poured into the flask in theconventional manner. Guide pins 46 are attached to the car 26 whichslide in holes in the flask to positively locate the cope 23 relative tothe drag 24 so that the two halves of the pattern cavity will be inperfect alignment when the drag 24 and cope 23 are put together.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferredpractical forms but the structure shown is capable of modificationwithin a range of equivalents without departing from the invention whichis to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with theappended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A molding machine comprising a base having a track mounted thereon, amolding head supported over a portion of said base and said track, aboom, means to slidably support said boom on said head, a hoppersupported on said boom, means to support a flask on said track, saidboom being slidable to bring said hopper into position over said flaskwhen said flask is supported on said track out from under said head,said hopper adapted to direct molding material into said flask, means tomove said flask on said track to a position under said head, means insaid head to compress molding material in said hopper and said flask,and means to hold said hopper in position under said head while saidflask is moved out from under said head and said hopper whereby moldingmaterial in said flask is levelled even with the top edges of said flaskafter having been compressed by said means to compress said moldingmaterial, said means to support said boom on said head comprising twopairs of vertically spaced rollers supported on said head, 'said boomhaving track means thereon adapted to be supported between said spacedrollers and horizontally movable relative thereto.

2. The molding machine recited in claim 1 wherein said flask issupported on said track by means of wheels.

3. The molding machine recited in claim 2 wherein said means to movesaid flask comprises a hydraulic cylinder fixed to said base and havinga piston rod attached to said flask.

4. The molding machine recited in claim 2 wherein said means to compresssaid molding material comprises a diaphragm having its edges sealinglyconnected to said head and defining a closed space with a cavity in saidhead, and means to apply compressed air in the space in said head abovesaid diaphragm whereby said diaphragm is adapted to be forced intoengagement with said molding material and exerts a force thereon.

5. The molding machine recited in claim 4 wherein means is provided toapply a vacuum to the space behind said diaphragm to draw said diaphragminto said head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS408,386 Moore Aug. 6, 1889 2,142,491 Byerlein Jan. 3, 1939 2,386,641Trockle Oct. 9, 1945 2,542,243 Gedris Feb. 20, 1951 2,640,234 BergamiJune 2, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,222 Germany Sept. 22, 1881 801,574Germany Jan. 11, 1951 460,014 France Sept. 23, 1913

